Known pre-cast concrete tilt-up wall panels are either cast on a building site or off-site and thereafter transported to the site. In either case, once on the building site, the panels are positioned on an underlying support structure, typically a rebated concrete slab, to form the walls of the building. Thereafter, the roof of the building is constructed to complete the main structure of the building.
In International patent application WO2006/058390, the Applicant discloses a tilt-up wall panel that is in the form of a composite structure having a deck formed of one or more profiled sheets and cementitious material cast on the deck.
In the formation of the composite structures as tilt-up wall panels, it is a requirement to control the dimensions and shape of the panel. This is necessary as the resultant panel needs to be made to relatively precise tolerances and the casting of a cementitious material onto the underlying sheets induces hydrostatic forces that need to be contained to maintain dimensional control in the resulting panel. This may be particularly problematic if the panels are cast on-site as it is usually not feasible to provide adequate jigs that may be available in the factory situation to contain the hydrostatic forces. Also in the use of the wall panels in buildings, there is often a need to allow flexibility in the panel dimensions beyond that which is available by the assembly of standard width profiled sheets in overlapping side by side configuration.
Furthermore, to complete a wall fit out using such wall panels described above, it is necessary to install fixtures, such as window and door fixtures, to the wall panels. These fixtures may be installed once the wall is in place or may be fitted prior to installing of the wall. In either case, there is an ongoing demand to reduce building costs and accordingly it is desirable to provide wall systems that simplify the installation of these fixtures. Also it is desirable to provide the ability to vary the dimensions and/or position of the opening in the wall panel. This is problematic when endeavouring to standardize the construction of the panels.